Fiddle-leaf fig care: watering and light
The fiddle-leaf fig has huge, violin-shaped leaves and a reputation for being difficult. Really, it asks for just three things: lots of light, steady watering and not being moved around.
Fiddle-leaf fig needs water roughly every 7 days in summer and every 11 in winter (east-facing window, in a 16 cm plastic pot with a drainage hole). Before watering, always check with a finger in the soil: if it’s still damp, wait.
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Ficus lyrata
- Preferred light
- Bright indirect light
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Tolerates drought
- No
- Tolerates shade
- No
- Where it lives
- Indoors
Where to put it
It needs lots of light: next to an east- or south-facing window, with some morning sun. Away from the window it drops leaves. Pick a spot and leave it there — a fiddle-leaf fig reacts to moves, draughts and radiators by shedding leaves.
Give the pot a quarter turn now and then so it grows straight.
How to water
Water when the top five centimetres of soil are dry, generously, and let it drain. It likes consistency: swinging between bone-dry and soaked is what upsets it most.
Common mistakes
Brown patches starting in the middle of the leaf and lower leaves dropping point to overwatering. Crispy brown edges point to underwatering or very dry air. Leaves falling just after it arrives home are normal: it’s settling in.
How many days between waterings, spot by spot
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 6 days | 10 days |
| East-facing window | 7 days | 11 days |
| North-facing window | 11 days | 18 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 16 days | 25 days |